Sheri Robinson, a seventh grader at Einstein Middle School, said it’s about more than just “skipping school.”
“I want to get out and change things in our community,” Robinson said.
Robinson joined about 200 other Einstein and Kellogg middle school students and Shorewood and Shorecrest high school students at the Shoreline Youth Summit Tuesday, April 1.
Hosted by the Shoreline YMCA and the Shoreline/ Lake Forest Park Youth Council, students gathered at 9 a.m. at the Shoreline Center for an opening speech by King County Executive Ron Sims. For the rest of the day, students got together in small groups, called “breakouts,” to discuss issues in their communities, including how to get involved in the community, sexuality, transportation and teen suicide. The discussions were lead by members of the Youth Council.
“Our goal is to have more youth involved in the community and to learn what they want to do,” Youth Council member and Shorecrest senior Shatreen Masshoor said.
Robinson and her friends, Michelle Guidry and Rebekah Sheridan, also seventh graders, said they came to the Youth Summit to talk about changing the legal smoking age from 18 to 21-years-old and how to get another library built closer to their school and homes. Starting a cheerleading group and getting involved with more sports activities were also on the girls’ to-do list.
“We want things to do, and these will get kids off the couch and outside,” Sheridan said.
Representatives from the Youth Volunteer Corps. and other youth groups also attended the event in an effort to let students know there are many resources for them in their own neighborhoods.
“Service learning is so important for these kids because it gives them a civic responsibility and ownership in their communities. Some youths think they have no voice and what they have to say is not important, when it really is,” Volunteer Corps member and Einstein Middle School Hang Time coordinator Klara Moller said.
Robinson, Guidry and Sheridan agreed with Moller, and said they feel young people are often overlooked, but that they want to change that.
“Kids can do more things than people think,” Guidry said.
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